“You are trying to sound too scholarly.”

Another great piece of advice from a friend. “I think you are trying to sound too scholarly.”

I’ve been researching, reading and making notes for months. I have found my common themes for my literature review and I have finally started to actually write. The problem is, I want it to be perfect. Even draft #1. So I tried to make it sound like all the articles I’ve read. I thought it was brilliant.

I shared my initial attempt with a friend a few days ago (because of course I need it to be perfect before I share it with my advisor – I know, I know…) and I received great feedback again:

Kelly, I think you are trying to sound too scholarly.

You are assuming everyone will know what you are talking about.

You have to unpack this and use YOUR voice.

Write like you talk to me.

Of course at first hearing this, I felt like I failed at my first attempt. But then quickly realized that I had to embrace this learning. My first opening sentence had six concepts that I assumed everyone would understand. Yes, six. We circled them. That made me laugh out loud.

I ended up tossing and turning all night, rewriting while I tried to sleep. And when I got up the next morning, I just started typing as if I was talking. I took that one opening sentence and turned it into a page and a half, without referring to any notes from any of my articles. I just used my thinking, my experiences and my voice. And I believe it’s more real. It’s more ME.

I think I’ve been thinking too hard. I think I need to think less. I actually found an article to support that thinking this morning :)

4 responses to ““You are trying to sound too scholarly.””

Kelly – you continually impress me with your discerning self-reflective attitude, candour and the way you incorporate collaborative feedback. Interesting interplay between the striving for perfection, creativity, and ideally tempered by a ‘mind-letting-go’ concept as the article you cited alluded to. Seems like you’re on the way to mastering the dynamic. So much to learn from you. Happy productivity… :)